ISAURA RESEARCH

ISAURA – LAYOUT - EXTERIOR

In Invisible Cities by Calvino, the city of Isaura is described as rising “over a deep, subterranean lake” and is “a city that moves
entirely upward”. My interpretation of this is that the city is situated around and above the lake, almost like itself is one giant with
the buildings like bricks and supports. I envisioned it at first to be made of an upper city, located roughly at the surface, and a
lower city – located next within the subterranean cavern and near the lake and which Isaura is mostly composed of. I want to
emphasize the verticality of Isaura in my low angle and the size of it and its home cavern.
Another reason for the layout is because Calvino describes two religions, one that believes that the gods “live in the depths, in the
black lake that feeds the underground streams”, and another that believes “the gods live in the buckets that rise, suspended over
a cable, as they appear over the edge of the wells, in the revolving pulleys, in the windlasses of the norias”. This suggests there is
somewhat of a cultural divide between the denizens of Isaura. Further more there is mention of “vertical pipes”, “reservoirs
perched on stilts”, “slender arches of the aqueducts” and “all the way up to the weathercocks that surmount the airy scaffoldings
of Isaura”, both suggest the city’s verticality and how it functions.
Another thing Calvino mentions Isaura’s “its green border repeats the dark outline of the buried lake”, and “an invisible landscape
conditions the visible one”. This line leads to believe that Isaura is located somewhere particularly dry which is why the greenery
stands out. Certain environments that I inferred from the text included xeric shrublands and/or barren deserts. The environment
must be extensively dry and harsh for the Isaurans to dig deep into the ground.
The underground it self will be made of rock formations, shaped by erosion and ages past. There forms are natural and organic as
opposed to the angular, man-made constructs making a great contrast.
ARCHITECTURE
I decided to investigate Islamic/middle-eastern architecture and art. Since Isaura is described as
a city that “moves entirely upward” and is supposedly near Kublai Khan’s Empire which would be
located in Asia and somewhere arid, the choice seems right for location inferring what
information I can. Islamic architecture often includes long, tall towers which can further suggest
Isaura’s emphasis on verticality, something I really want to explore in my low-angle painting. The
Blue Mosque in Turkey has an interior reminiscent of massive underground cavern and Al-
Khazneh, a temple built and carved into the rusty rock of Petra in Arabia is a large influence as to
how I intend to blur interior and exterior. Both will also suggest
There is also the art style in regards to age-old murals depicting Islamic, Arabic, Asian and
Mesopotamian history and culture. The composition of these ancient reliefs often have a flat
composition yet articulate and intricate patterns to mimic textures of their associate objects and
figures. I want to explore this art style as I feel it is thematically appropriate for where Isaura is
located.
I also looked at the hanging gardens of Babylon as source of how Isaura would work logically to
produce food and appear aesthetically pleasing.
My intention will see that my final piece will include the same style of architecture and the
decadent composition and texture of murals to create a fantastical yet believable city.
 ISAURA – LAYOUT – INTERIOR
Calvino never goes into detail about the homesteads of Isaura, but after inferring what
information I can from the text and deciding where the city’s general location, I can see
it being highly decadent, rich with culture and history. Isaura has gods but not a god
which suggests that, despite me choosing the Islamic influences, the denizens do not
practice a monotheistic and/or Abrahamic religion. I decided something akin to ancient
Mesopotamian culture since it was simultaneously thematically appropriate location-wise,
but also follows what the original text says.
I imagine statues of the city’s gods displayed in a hall with a domed ceiling, similar to the
blue mosque. A highly cultural and artistic visual with the influences from the ancient
murals. Other objects I envision would be pots, vases and large pillars support the massive
structure.